


Good Night, Sleep Tight

by Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan



Category: NCIS
Genre: Family, Gen, Grandpa and grandchild, Parents and Children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-12-13
Packaged: 2019-01-30 15:25:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 7,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12656235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan/pseuds/Calico_Cat_TIVA_Fan
Summary: A collection of one shot ficlets of bedtime stories for the DiNozzo and McGee children. See individual chapters for pairings. Part of the "You Complete Me" universe.





	1. Gibbs and Tali: The Grouchy Old Bear

Good Night Sleep Tight

_A collection of bedtime stories one shots._

Chapter 1 Gibbs & Tali: The Grouchy Old Bear

"Do you want me to tell you a story, Tali?" Gibbs was watching his granddaughter and grandson for the night while their parents had a date night. She smiled and nodded her head, "Please, Grandpa!"

He tucked Kelev under her arm and sat on the side of the bed. "Once upon a time, there was a grouchy old bear. He was grouchy almost all the time. Some days he didn't even try to smile. The grouchy old bear had a few friends, but they mostly tried to stay away when he was very grouchy.

"He would be grouchy at home, at work, when he went shopping, and just about any place. He didn't care if the other bears didn't like him because he was so grouchy. He just wanted to be grouchy and work on his boat. But his job meant that he had to work with other bears and talk to them.

"He worked hard and his team helped catch bears who broke the laws. Some of the bears on his team were nice to him, but he had too much grouchiness inside him to be nice back. One day all that changed, because a new bear came to work for him.

"The new bear liked to work with the grouchy bear, and learned to ignore the grouchy parts. The new bear even got the grouchy bear to smile once in a while. He would act silly or make a joke and even if the grouchy bear didn't laugh or smile, on the inside he did smile. The grouchy bear began to like the other bear as a son.

"Another new bear, who was very good with computers, came to work with the grouchy bear and the goofy bear. Computer bear was very smart, and he learned from the other two bears. Their team was almost complete. A girl bear came to join the team. Grouchy bear liked her independence and spirit and she was like a daughter to him.

"The four bears worked together catching the criminal bears and solving crimes and became the very best at their job. The grouchy bear cared about his team a lot, and if someone tried to hurt one of his team, he got very, very grouchy and very angry. Nobody messed with his kids!

"The girl bear got very sad and had to leave the job. The goofy bear was very upset and went to find the girl bear because he loved her. But the goofy bear came home without his love. She needed to figure out her life.

"One day the team learned that the girl bear had been hurt and they were very sad. The goofy bear left the team to take care of the baby bear that had been born to the girl bear. The goofy bear was her daddy. The little girl bear and her daddy bear went to find the big girl bear. She found them in Paris and they were a family.

"The bears had another baby bear, this one a boy baby. The daddy and mommy bears decided that they needed to go home to Washington DC. The grouchy bear was very surprised when they came home. He hugged his kids and then the little girl bear. The baby boy bear smiled at him.

"The little girl bear loved her grandpa bear. He was not as grouchy as he used to be. Then one day the little girl bear hugged her grandpa bear and said to him, 'Grandpa, I love you.' The grouchy old bear felt his heart growing and he cried happy tears. His heart was no longer grouchy; it was happy and loved.

"The grandpa bear was nice to everyone, except the criminal bears, and the whole bear family lived happily ever after."

Gibbs looked over at Tali, who was sound asleep. He gently kissed her forehead, "Sleep tight, Tali. I love you!"


	2. Tim and John: Robot Troubles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday 11/15 to Sean Murray

Chapter 2 Tim & John: Robot Troubles

"Daddy, tell me a story," three year old John loved his father's stories, especially the ones about the robots. "A robot one, please?" He put his head on his pillow as his father sat down on the chair next to the bed.

Tim thought a minute and then started the story. "Once there was a boy who had all kinds of robots. He had robots to cook his meals, robots to clean his room, robots to do chores and even a robot to play with him. The robots all had their own room, where they charged their batteries at night and could plug into the mainframe computer in the house to update their software.

"One day, the cook robot malfunctioned and the only food it would make was burned toast." John made a face at his daddy. "The other robots did not know how to cook, so the boy had to figure out what was wrong with the cook robot quickly or he would have no food to eat.

"The play robot kept trying to get the boy to play, but the boy had to tell the play robot 'no.' The cook robot needed to be fixed first before play time. The boy got out his robot tools and checked the updates on the mainframe computer. He connected the cook robot to the mainframe and had his robot helper bot check the cook robot's programming and hardware.

"He could not find any problems with the cook robot and did not know why it would only make burnt toast. He took the cook robot to the kitchen and asked it to make him lunch. The cook robot made burnt toast and spinach." John made a face and said 'ewww.'

"The boy's sister came into the kitchen and made herself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Then she made one for the boy. The boy was surprised because he thought only cook robots could make food. He told his sister thank you for the sandwich.

"The play robot still kept trying to get the boy to play. But he still needed to fix the cook robot and get the laundry robot to wash his clothes. The boy told the laundry robot to wash the dirty clothes, and the laundry robot took all of the clothes and threw them in the trash. Then it put all the laundry soap on the floor. The boy was worried because now a second robot was malfunctioning.

"He took the two broken robots to their room and turned them off. He used his robot helper to check all of the programming on the mainframe, and it still showed nothing wrong. The play robot came over and asked the boy to play with it again. The boy was frustrated, so he said okay to the play robot.

"The play robot got out the race cars and the two raced all different cars and track layouts. The boy won some of the races and the play robot won some. They were tied in wins, and the final race was set up. The boy's car was ahead and about to win when it suddenly stopped and the play robot's car zoomed past to win.

"The play robot made a sound and then smoke came out of its vent. The boy's car started moving again, and he figured out that the play robot had made it stop. He took the play robot to the robots' room and connected it to the mainframe. When he saw the screen, he realized that the play robot had caused all of the problems with the other robots. The play robot wanted to be the only robot to have the boy's attention. The boy had to reprogram the play robot to have it learn how to share and cooperate. After that, all of the robots got along and the boy was happy."

Tim looked over at his son, curled on his side with his favorite plush robot, sound asleep. "Good night, my little robot programmer. I love you, John." Tim kissed his son's forehead.


	3. Tony and Tali: Ninja Princess and her Prince

Chapter 3 Tony & Tali: Ninja Princess and Her Prince

"Abba, tell me a princess story, please?" Tali always liked to hear her Abba's stories about Ninja Princess Ziva and Very Special Prince Tony. Almost every night that it was his turn to tuck her in to bed, she asked for a princess story. She knew that the characters were really her Ima and Abba, but it was fun to hear her Abba's stories about them from before she was born.

Tony smiled at his little girl, "Where are they visiting tonight?"

Tali thought a minute and then replied, "Paris!"

"Ah, Paris, is a magical city for Princess Ziva and Prince Tony, because Paris is where they confessed their love to each other. They went to Paris for their work, to escort a witness back to Washington DC. But they had two days to wait for the witness before they could leave for home.

"Prince Tony suggested that they see the sights in Paris, the museums, the markets, the Eiffel Tower, and other places that made Paris special. Princess Ziva wasn't sure if they should or not, at first. But Prince Tony wouldn't give up. He wanted Princess Ziva to learn how to have fun.

"He rented a scooter and convinced Princess Ziva to ride with him. She had to wrap her arms around him to hang on. Prince Tony secretly liked having her arms around him. Princess Ziva would not admit it, but she liked the hugs from Prince Tony and hugging him.

"They went to the Louvre and saw the famous paintings. They went up the Eiffel Tower and marveled at the sights from high above the city. Prince Tony's favorite part was taking Princess Ziva to a night cruise on the River Seine. To him, Princess Ziva was the most beautiful woman in the world. He liked to see her smile and have fun. On the night cruise, he kissed her and he felt like he was floating on air.

"Princess Ziva was surprised at first when Prince Tony kissed her, but she really liked it a lot. She liked Prince Tony a lot too. She kissed him again, and held his hand. Prince Tony was very happy that she held his hand. It made him feel good to know that she liked him as much as he liked her.

"When they were watching the lights on the river cruise, Prince Tony put his arm around Princess Ziva. She leaned her head on his shoulder and they were both happy. After the cruise, they walked holding hands back to where they were staying. Prince Tony smiled a big, goofy grin. He was happy that his Ninja Princess was holding his hand and that she had kissed him.

"When they got to their temporary home, Prince Tony kissed Princess Ziva again. Then he told her that he loved her. She kissed him another time and told him that she loved him. They were very happy that night.

"And now, Prince Tony and Princess Ziva have their own little Princess Tali and Prince Anthony. They are a happy family."

Tony pulled the covers up over sleeping Tali and kissed her good night. "Good night, my little ninja princess; Abba loves you."


	4. Ziva and LJ: Painting the Sunset

Chapter 4 Ziva and LJ: Painting the Sunset

"LJ, this is the story of how the angels paint the sunset," Ziva was sitting on the side of her little boy's bed, rubbing his back and trying to get him to sleep. The almost four year old had been allowed to stay up past his normal bedtime to watch a special program on television with the rest of the family. He was over-tired and a bit fussy. He hugged his favorite stuffed animal, a lion that Grandpa Gibbs had given him, as he listened to his Ima.

"Do they use all the colors at the same time, or one color at a time, Ima?" LJ lifted his head off the pillow and looked at his mother. "How many angels paint at the same time?"

Ziva smiled at her little boy's questions. Of all of her children, LJ was the most curious, questioning everything and making connections that often surprised her at how the boy's brain worked. She realized that LJ had his Abba's natural curiosity and thought "out of the box" like his Abba.

"We will get to the details, LJ. Let me start the story." Ziva rubbed her hand on LJ's back as he put his head back on the pillow.

"Every day when the sun moved across the sky, it would disappear into darkness at night. The sky would be blue and then a blue gray and then gray and finally black. Every night three angels would watch the sunset and see how the people on Earth just stopped what they were doing when it got dark. One of the angels, who liked colorful things, told the other two that she thought there should be more color when the sun rose and set each day.

"The other two thought about it, and agreed. Maybe if the sun came and went with pretty colors, the people would not be sad at night. The colors at night would be the promise of another day.

"Now all the three angels had to do was find a way to put the colors in the sky when the sun rose and set. First they asked the Sun if he could make different colors of light. The Sun told them that he could only make different colors with his light if he had help from water drops or clouds in the sky.

"The angels decided that they would need to get water drops in the sky for each sunset and sunrise. They had to make a plan that would help them make enough water in the clouds and sky to make pretty colors for the people on Earth. They talked to all of the other angels and made a plan.

"When the sun started moving to the horizon, the angels would all take a bucket of rain and throw it into the sky. The Sun would shine his rays at the water drops and make pretty sunsets for the people of the Earth.

"The first night the angels made the sunset have colors, the people of Earth saw the pretty colors, but since it was something they had never seen before, they were scared. After several nights of the colors, the people were not as scared and started looking for the colors every night.

"The people liked the pretty colors and it made the night seem less scary. The three angels had accomplished their goal."

Ziva gently removed her hand from her sleeping son's back. The little boy was clutching his lion and smiling in his sleep. Her little artist, who loved anything with colors, would probably draw a picture in the morning of the angels painting the sunset.

She softly kissed his cheek and pulled the blanket over him. "Laila tov."


	5. Gibbs and LJ: LJ and the Magic Paint Brush

Chapter 5 Gibbs and LJ: LJ and the Magic Paint Brush

LJ finished his preparations for bed and called to his Grandpa, "Grandpa, I'm ready for story time." One of LJ's favorite things about spending the night at his Grandpa's house was getting to have story time before he went to sleep.

Gibbs climbed the steps and entered the bedroom where six year old LJ was waiting. He turned off the light with the switch by the door, so that the room only had light from the hallway. LJ was lying on his back under the lightweight blanket on the bed. He had his stuffed lion clasped to his chest with his right arm. LJ smiled as his Grandpa sat on the edge of the bed.

Gibbs ruffled LJ's hair and then smoothed it down. "How about the Magic Paint Brush tonight, LJ?" The little boy nodded, "Yes, please!"

"LJ and his magic paint brush were visiting Washington DC on a very rainy day. Everything was gray and dreary, but LJ knew just how to fix that! He took out his magic paint brush and dipped it into a puddle. Then he waved it along the side of the road and made lots of colorful flowers that smiled up at the rain and caught the rain drops in their leaves. All of the people traveling on the road saw the pretty flowers and smiled.

"The next day, LJ painted some more flowers on other roads because it made people happy. He used the puddles and his magic paint brush and painted all kinds of wild flowers, in oranges, reds, blues, yellows and white. All the flowers liked the rain because it helped them grow.

"The people liked the pretty flowers, but the rain kept coming down and then the people were not happy about all the rain. LJ had to think quickly; the flowers were pretty but they did not need to have all the rain to keep growing.

"LJ remembered that flowers also need sunshine to grow and the next day, instead of painting flowers, he painted sunshine in the skies. Everyone was happy to have sunshine and pretty flowers and LJ was happy that he had made others happy."

Gibbs looked over at the sleeping boy. LJ was smiling and hugging his lion. The littlest DiNozzo, who had his father's facial features and goofy grin, with his mother's chocolate brown eyes and curly hair, had a special place in his Grandpa's heart. Gibbs put his hand on LJ's head and gently kissed the boy's forehead. "Sleep tight, LJ. I love you."

"Night Grandpa. Love you too." LJ turned on his side, cuddling his lion.


	6. Tony and Anthony: Red Ferrari

Chapter 6 Tony and Anthony: Red Ferrari

"Zoom," Tony and Anthony started one of four year old Anthony's favorite bed time stories together. "Zoom, vroom, Red Ferrari goes fast on the road." Anthony climbed up on his bed and put his legs under the covers.

Anthony smiled at his Abba and put his head on his pillow. Tony handed his son the boy's favorite plush bear. Anthony hugged his Ferrari bear, "Toda, Abba."

Tony sat on the edge of the bed, "Red Ferrari liked to go fast. He did almost everything fast. He fueled up fast, he drove fast, but he rested at a slower pace. Most days, he woke up ready to go fast all day. He would zoom everywhere he went. Zoom, vroom, his engine would purr like a big cat.

"Red Ferrari liked to go to highways that had very little traffic so that he could drive fast and leave others in his dust. When he drove in the desert, people would say that he was like a red streak zooming by. Red Ferrari liked to hear that. It made him want to go even faster.

"One day, Red Ferrari got stuck in I-95 traffic around DC. He was upset that he couldn't go fast and he was mad because all the other cars seemed to like to go very, very, very, slow. Red Ferrari did not like to go slow. He always wanted to zoom and go fast. In the DC traffic, he was going so slow that anyone could read the letters on his tires.

"Red Ferrari revved his engine and the other cars gave him nasty looks. The Blue Mustang next to him told him to be patient and just roll with the traffic. Blue Mustang told him that if he was nice to the other cars, he would get where he wanted to be faster and with lots less frustration. Blue Mustang even said that he could make a new friend in the traffic.

"Blue Mustang said that she was from Florida and she was going to Baltimore. She asked Red Ferrari where he lived. Red Ferrari didn't really have a home; he just stopped and rested wherever he happened to be that day. 'Too bad,' said Blue Mustang, 'We could have been friends if you lived around here.'

"The traffic started moving faster, and Blue Mustang said good bye to Red Ferrari. Red Ferrari zoomed off ahead and then he thought about what Blue Mustang had said. Maybe he should find a home and slow down. That way he would have friends."

Tony looked over at Anthony, who was sleeping on his side with his bear tucked under his arm. "Laila tov, Anthony. I love you." Tony kissed the top of Anthony's head and pulled the covers up over his sleeping boy.


	7. Ziva and Tali: Abba is Real

Chapter 7 Ziva and Tali: Abba is Real

Ziva tucked twenty month old Tali into her toddler bed. The little girl hugged her Ima and then took Kelev into her arms. Tali pointed to the picture on her nightstand. "Ima. Abba."

Ziva picked up the picture and Tali's chubby little fingers touched the faces in the picture. "Ima," she pointed to the image of her mother on the picture and then put her hand on her Ima's hand. "Ima." Ziva nodded, "Yes, Tali. Ima loves Tali."

"Ta-ee lub Ima." Tali smiled at her Ima. She put her finger on the other face in the picture. "Abba. Ta-ee lub Abba."

"Very good, Tali. Your Abba loves you. Some day you will meet him. He is far, far away." Ziva's eyes teared over. 'Too far away, I miss him so.' She never spoke that part out loud so that she would not upset her daughter with the sadness in her voice.

"Ima lub Abba?" Tali pointed at her mother, and looked at her questioningly. "Abba lub Ima?"

Ziva looked at Tali; that was the first time Tali had ever put the two of them together. Ziva told Tali the truth, "Yes, Tali; Ima loves Abba very much. Abba loves Ima, too."

"Where Abba?" Tali looked around the room and then at her mother.

"Abba is far away in Washington DC. Abba is too far away. I miss him." Ziva blurted out her true feelings before her mind could override her heart, and tears rolled down her cheeks.

Tali noticed her Ima's tears and hugged her mother. "Ima sad?" She placed a kiss on her mother's cheek. Ziva hugged Tali, "Yes, Ima is sad. But, how about I tell you a happy story about Ima and Abba?" Tali nodded her head, "Ken."

Ziva helped Tali lie back down as she began the story. "When Abba and I worked at NCIS, we were a team. He and I were partners. Abba could be a big goof but he always tried to make me smile and laugh. One time, we were finishing up a case, and it rained on us when we arrested the perp. Both Abba and I got soaked to the skin. We had to ride back to the Navy Yard in wet clothes. The good thing was that because of the work we did, everyone kept at least two changes of clothes, one in the go bag and one in the desk in the squad room. We changed into dry clothes and finished the paperwork for the case.

"Gibbs sent us home and Abba and I planned to get a pizza to go and watch a movie at home. We walked out to the car to go home and the rain started pouring down again. Abba tried to jump over a puddle and he landed in the middle of it and splashed himself and me. I splashed him when we got to the next puddle. We started running in the puddles on purpose, making big splashes and getting soaked all over again. But both Abba and I were laughing.

"We ran into the little park that was for NCIS employees to sit outside for lunch or break and splashed in every puddle we found. We had a lot of fun, just playing like we were carefree and kids again. When Abba stopped, he took me in his arms and we hugged and then kissed." Ziva smiled at the memory of Tony's arms around her, his lips and hers locked together in the rain. A tear slid down her cheek; she missed him so much, but the time was not right for her to go to him yet.

"Yes, Tali, Abba is real, and I love him so much. Ani ohevet otcha, Tony." Ziva placed a kiss on her sleeping daughter's curls and stroked her cheek. "Laila tov, Tali."


	8. Tony & Ziva and Rivka & Beth: Double Team

Chapter 8 Tony and Ziva & Rivka and Beth: Double Team

Tony and Ziva tucked their five year old twins into their beds. They had taken the girls out to dinner and a movie for their birthday, just the four of them. Tali was spending the night with the Palmers, Anthony was at the McGee house and LJ was with Grandpa Gibbs.

"Will you tell us a story, Ima and Abba?" Rivka liked to hear her parents' stories and when both of them told the story, Ima and Abba often acted the parts of the story, to the delight of the children.

"Please?" Beth settled into her bed and gave her Abba the puppy eyes. Tony kissed her forehead and smiled. He could never resist his daughter's look. Ziva smiled at her daughters; they had their Abba wrapped around their little fingers.

"Of course we will." Ziva looked at Tony, "Who should start the story?" Their rule was that the parent who started the story would pick the characters and the other picked the location and began the plot line.

"Abba!" Both girls said together. One reason they liked to have their Abba start the story is that he usually chose Ninja Princess Ziva and Very Special Prince Tony as the characters. All of the children knew that the stories with these two characters were stories about their Ima and Abba, usually from the NCIS days.

Tony didn't disappoint, "Ninja Princess Ziva and Very Special Prince Tony had a day off from work. They decided to go to…"

Ziva picked up the story, "…Philadelphia for the day. Prince Tony wanted to show Princess Ziva many of the museums and places to visit in the city of brotherly love. The first stop was at Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Princess Ziva had read about these two places and remembered them from when she became a US citizen. They took some pictures and had a tourist take a picture of the two of them in front of the Liberty Bell."

"Princess Ziva wanted to see the Franklin Institute and the Art Museum, and Prince Tony wanted to pretend to be Rocky Balboa and run up the Art Museum steps." Tony took the next part of the story. "They went to the Franklin Institute first. There were lots of neat things to see, including Foucault's Pendulum, an exhibit that shows how the Earth rotates daily on its axis; a Baldwin 60000 steam locomotive, and Wright Brothers plane. Princess Ziva liked the exhibit on the human brain, but Prince Tony thought it was too much like work! The exhibit had a whole 'street' of illusions, a lie detector exhibit and a perceptions section. Princess Ziva had to agree that some parts were very much like being at work.

"Prince Tony's favorite exhibit was the sports zone, about the science of sports. Princess Ziva had to drag him away from the sports zone so that they could still have time to see other things."

Ziva picked up the story, "They finally saw all that they wanted to see at the Franklin Institute and then went to the Art Museum. Prince Tony parked the car and looked at the steps that were made famous by the Rocky movies. He told Princess Ziva that he was going to run up the steps like Rocky Balboa had done in the first movie. What he did not know until he started going up is that there are seventy two steps to climb." Tony stood up and pretended to run and climb steps. "He got most of the way up and realized that he was getting tired. Princess Ziva had taken Prince Tony's phone and was taking video of his run. She laughed at him when he started slowing down, and that made him more determined to get to the top without stopping." Tony pretended to be getting tired and slowing down, and both girls giggled at the faces he made. Even Ziva giggled as she tried to keep telling the story.

"Prince Tony moved slower, but he did finally make it to the top of the stairs and he pumped his fists in the air and shadow boxed like Rocky did in the movie." Tony imitated Rocky at the top of the steps. "Princess Ziva had it all recorded on video, even the people around the top of the steps who gave him funny looks. She was actually proud of Prince Tony for making the run without stopping. She surprised him by giving him a hug. He hugged her back and they both liked getting and giving hugs." Tony hugged Ziva and he gave her a kiss.

"You remembered that you kissed me at the top of the stairs," she whispered.

He nodded his head, "That was the best reward."

"To be continued then, after we tuck the girls in," Ziva whispered in his ear.

The parents looked at their sleeping daughters. "Laila tov, Rivka and Beth." They tiptoed out of the room.


	9. Tim and Katie: A Happy Princess

Chapter 9 Tim & Katie: A Happy Princess

Tim tucked five year old Katie into her bed. She had on her favorite princess pajamas, and her plush princess hippo, from Aunt Abby, was tucked in her arms. Tim smiled at his daughter, and started her bed time story.

"There once was a little princess who was happy all the time. Even if she had a bad day, she was still happy. She smiled at everyone she met and greeted every cat and dog she saw. Cats and dogs would come to her and just about ask to be petted.

"The little princess liked everyone and every animal she met. Even the birds were happy when she was around. The little princess liked making everyone smile and feel happy. It was her favorite thing to do.

"One day, a mean ogre came to the kingdom. The mean ogre scared everyone and everything with whom he came into contact. People would try to avoid the mean ogre, and babies cried when the mean ogre came into sight. Animals and birds stopped moving and tried to hide when the mean ogre was near. Even the trees and plants tried to move their branches away from the mean ogre.

"The little princess heard about the mean ogre from others. Her friends and parents told her to stay away from the mean ogre. The little princess thought about their advice and warnings, but decided that she could change the mean ogre into a nice ogre.

"Every day, she would take a special walk to pass by the mean ogre's house when she knew he would be outside. 'Have a nice day, Mr. Ogre,' she repeated day after day with a smile. The mean ogre would snarl and growl at the little princess, but she did not give up on her plan.

"Days went by, and the same thing happened each day. The little princess still did not give up. She smiled and wished the ogre a good day, every day, for six months without stop. She decided that she needed to do more to be nice to the ogre.

"One day, she baked some cookies and took two of them to the ogre's house. She offered them to the ogre when she said hello and wished him a good day. He grunted at her and then turned his back. The little princess left the cookies on his porch, wrapped in a paper napkin and went on her way.

"Every day for a month, she took cookies to the ogre, and left them for him when he turned away. What she didn't know is that the ogre ate the cookies after she left. The ogre thought that the cookies were really, really good. He actually looked forward to her daily visits with the cookies.

"The day came when the ogre did not turn away. He took the cookies from the little princess's hand and did not grunt. He almost smiled. The second day, he said 'Thank you.' And the third day, he smiled his best ogre smile. The little princess was happy that the ogre was not mean to her any more.

"She took the cookies to him on the fourth day, and she asked him if he could be nice to everyone. The ogre took the cookies from her and thought about the request. He finally nodded and said, 'I can try that.'

"On the fifth day, the ogre had cookies that he had baked and he shared them with everyone who walked by his house, and he smiled at them. When the little princess came to visit, he traded cookies with her. She gave the ogre a hug, and all of a sudden, he was no longer an ogre. 'Thank you, little princess, you have broken the spell on me and now I am not an ogre any longer.'

"The little princess became friends with the transformed ogre, and they were friends for life." Tim looked at his sleeping princess. He tucked her covers around her and kissed her forehead. "Sleep well, Katie. Daddy loves you."


	10. Tony and LJ: Never Give Up

Chapter 10 Tony & LJ: Never Give Up

Tony watched his four year old son climb up on his bed. His youngest, of all of the children, resembled both of his parents the most. He had the facial features and build of his father, and the chocolate brown eyes, dark curly hair and olive skin of his mother. What was ironic is that LJ – Leroy Jackson – was more like his namesake, Gibbs, than either of his parents in personality.

"Abba, are you going to tell me a story?" LJ looked at his Abba with his best puppy dog eyes. "PLEASE?"

Tony smiled at his little boy, "Of course we will have a story. What would you like to hear a story about tonight?"

LJ thought a minute and replied, "A brave lion like my lion." He held up the stuffed lion Grandpa Gibbs had given him for his third birthday. The toy was one of LJ's favorites and definitely his favorite stuffed toy. It went everywhere with him, especially to Grandpa's house.

"Leroy the Lion was a very brave lion, even when he was a small cub. When he was small, though, the other animals did not see him as brave. They believed he was too small to be brave. Leroy did not like when the other animals said that he wasn't brave.

"One day, he had enough and he tried to roar at them all to get them to be quiet. But, when he opened his mouth to roar, all that came out was a squeak. Leroy was sad that he could not roar like the big lions. All he could do was squeak. He walked away from the others with his head down.

"Leroy was sad, because he couldn't even roar to show the other animals that he really was a brave lion. Every day he went out in the savanna to practice his roars and every day the only sound he could make was a squeak. Every day he tried and tried, only to squeak each time.

"He was on the savanna trying to roar the day the big fire came across the grass lands. He spotted the fire and knew at once that he had to warn the other animals. He ran back to the pride, and tried to get the animals attention. 'Squeak, squeak!"Leroy tried again and again to make a loud noise to get the other animals' attention. He could see the fire getting closer and closer.

"He stood up on a large rock and took a very, very deep breath. 'ROAR!' He had done it; all the animals looked to see who had made the loud noise. Leroy said, 'We have to run; there is a fire coming this way.' He pointed to the savanna, and the other animals saw the smoke and flames.

"Leroy pointed to the water, 'ROAR! Run to the water! ROAR!' All of the animals ran to the water and got down low so the water protected them. After the fire passed, the animals told Leroy that he was a very brave lion. He smiled and tried to let them know how brave he felt, 'SQUEAK!'

"The other animals told Leroy to keep practicing and never give up and his roar would come back. Leroy opened his mouth and took a deep breath, 'ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!' Leroy the Lion was now a brave lion who could roar and save all of his animal friends."

LJ was on his side with his lion hugged to his chest, sleeping soundly. Tony leaned over and kissed LJ's forehead. "Laila tov, LJ. Abba loves you."


	11. Ziva and Anthony: Taming Dragons

Chapter 11 Ziva & Anthony: Taming Dragons

Ziva tucked three year old Anthony into his bed. Since the twins had been born six months ago, she hadn't had much of an opportunity to help Anthony nor Tali with their bed time routines. Now that Rivka and Beth were sleeping through the night, most nights, she was getting back into sharing bed time routines with Tony. She missed the time with the older children.

Anthony grinned at his Ima; Ziva was still amazed sometimes at how much Anthony looked like Tony. Except for the eyes, Anthony was Tony's 'mini-me.' The chocolate brown eyes were the only visible feature from Ziva. His grin was pure DiNozzo.

"Are you ready for a story, tataleh?" Ziva pulled Anthony's covers up over his legs and lower body, then handed him his favorite teddy bear. The bear was red and had a Ferrari logo on its belly, a gift from Tony for his newborn son a little over three years ago. Anthony nodded his head, "Ken, Ima."

Ziva thought a minute, and then began the story, "There was a family of dragons who were fierce and wild dragons. They pretty much did what they wanted when they wanted. Everyone was afraid of the dragons, because the dragons would hurt others and not even care.

"One of the dragons was a very curious dragon and she wanted to learn about everything she saw. She wanted to learn why the other dragons were mean and fierce. She really did not like being mean and fierce, but that was all she knew in her life. All of the other dragons around her were mean and fierce; none of them were nice.

"One day, the curious dragon was in the woods and looking at a house. A boy was in the yard, and he was looking at the dragon. He was not afraid of her, and she was curious about him. The boy moved closer to the tree line and the dragon moved closer to the edge of the trees. 'Hello,' the boy spoke to the dragon. She did not know what the boy said but he sounded nice, not mean. She did not know human language, only dragon language.

"She said hello to the boy in dragon language. The boy was not afraid, even though the dragon was making what sounded like growling noises. The dragon did not sound mean or scary. He smiled at the dragon and she tried to smile at him, only she just showed her teeth,

"The boy's mother came outside to call him in for lunch and the dragon went into the woods to hide. All of the other dragons had told her to watch out for the larger people. Most of the adult people wanted to kill the dragons because they were afraid of dragons. The boy did not understand why the dragons needed to be killed.

"Over several days, the boy and the curious dragon learned to trust the other. They moved closer to each other a bit at a time. The boy let the dragon sniff his hand. She sniffed it and then licked his hand. The boy smiled at her and she gave her best dragon smile back. The two would sit side by side; the boy talking in people language and the dragon talking in dragon language. They were becoming friends, even though they did not speak the same language.

"One night the boy had a dream about the dragon. In the dream, another dragon told them to listen with the heart and they would be able to hear and understand each other. The next day, the boy saw the dragon and ran over to her. He hugged her and told her about his dream. Then he listened with his heart, and he heard the dragon, 'You are my friend, and now we can hear each other. My name is Tannin.'

"'My name is Anthony, but in Hebrew it would be Gedalya.' The boy told the dragon both of his names. 'I like your name, it means dragon in Hebrew.'

"'I like your boy name. Anthony is a nice name.' Tannin smiled her dragon smile at her friend.

"Anthony smiled back at his dragon friend. She was one of the nicest friends he had. He did not understand why other people did not make friends with dragons. He wondered if he could show them how to be a friend to a dragon by showing how he and Tannin had become friends and learned to talk to each other.

"Anthony told Tannin to bring all the dragons to the park by his house. He would bring his family to the park at the same time. They would show the dragons and the people how to be friends.

"At first, Anthony's family was afraid to go near the dragons, but Anthony walked right up to his friend. The other dragons told her to run so the people could not hurt her. She told them to stay put and watch her and the boy. Anthony hugged his friend and she hugged him back. They spoke their language of the heart, and each told their families to listen with the heart.

"The people listened carefully with their hearts and so did the dragons. Soon they were listening to Anthony and Tannin talk to each other. Then the people and the dragons started talking to each other. Anthony and Tannin smiled; they were happy that the dragons and the people learned to be friends."

Anthony moved to cuddle his bear and sighed in his sleep. Ziva placed a kiss on his forehead. "Laila tov, Anthony. Ima loves you."


	12. Gibbs and the McGee Twins: The Robot and the Princess

Chapter 12 Gibbs and the McGee Twins: The Robot and the Princess

Five year old Katie and John were excited. They were spending the night with Grandpa Gibbs for the first time. Their DiNozzo cousins often spent a night over at Gibbs' house. The DiNozzo children always told their cousins about the really cool stories that Grandpa told at bedtime and the fun breakfasts that they had the next morning.

Katie put on her princess nightgown and brushed her teeth. She moved into the bedroom and John went to brush his teeth. He had his favorite robot pajamas on.

"Are you going to tell us a story, Grandpa?" Katie asked Gibbs as he tucked her into her bed.

He nodded as he handed her the princess hippo that Aunt Abby had given her. "Yes, as soon as John is ready and in his bed." John was coming into the room as Grandpa spoke and he hurried over to his bed. John slid under the covers and hugged his plush robot. Gibbs sat in the chair between the two beds and began the story.

"Once there was a robot who had a princess hippo as his best friend. She always wore a pink skirt and crown, even when she played. The robot liked to play make believe with the princess. When she would pick a play scene, such as the castle or the stables, the robot would put pictures of the place on his screen.

"The princess chose to go to New York City to play make-believe that day. They went to Rockefeller Center to see the big Christmas tree and the skaters. The big tree and the skating rink showed on the robot's screen. The princess pretended that she was skating on the ice.

"After the skating, they went to get some hot chocolate and a big pretzel from the street vendors. The pretzel was as big as the princess's face! But, it was a good pretzel and the princess ate all of it!

"After the snack was done, they walked to Central Park to ride the carousel. The horses were big and brightly colored. There were fifty seven in all; fifty two of them moved, called jumpers, and five stationery horses. There were also two chariots "pulled" by some of the horses. The princess picked a pink hued jumper horse to ride. The horse rode up high, and then back down as she rode around the carousel.

"The princess had so much fun on the first ride, she wanted to ride again. This time she chose a horse with blue reins and decorations. The blue horse was also a jumper. But instead of going round and round, the blue horse leaped off the carousel and into the field. He jumped over the benches and bushes and jumped around the field. The princess held on tight, hoping she would not fall off as the blue horse jumped higher and higher.

"Finally the blue horse stopped jumping. He stopped and just looked at the beautiful horse that was pulling a carriage through the park. The princess could tell that the blue horse was sad. Suddenly, the blue horse spoke, 'I want to be real.'

"The princess did not know what to do. She looked at the robot, who was making the scene for them to play. 'Robot, how do we help the horse become real?'

"The robot had to think about that one. 'I don't think we can make the blue horse real. He is in my virtual reality, so he is just pretend.' The princess was sad, and she told the robot to stop playing for now. She really wanted to help the horse, even if it was all just make believe.

"She ate her lunch with the robot by her side. She went outside and went for a walk near her home. The robot followed her. They walked by a field with a beautiful horse, who had on a blue blanket to keep warm. The horse spotted the princess and came over to the fence where she and the robot stood watching. She had an apple in her pocket and she decided to give the apple to the horse.

"The horse took the apple from the princess. 'Thank you, princess. I am real!' The princess and the robot high-fived each other; they had made the horse real by being kind to him."

Gibbs noticed that both Katie and John were asleep, each hugging a stuffed toy. John's robot winked at Gibbs as if to say "good story." Katie's hippo smiled.

"Good night, John and Katie." Gibbs kissed each of them on the forehead, making sure they were tucked under their covers. "I love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _My 9 year old granddaughter helped write this chapter and in the process became an NCIS fan!_


End file.
